Andrew felt the hard cock enter him, and he groaned from the sheer pleasure of it. His lover began to move in the age-old rhythm. He pushed his shaft deep inside Andrew's ass, withdrawing until only the tip remained, and then plunging back in. The movements were gentle at first, but as they began to increase in speed they became harder and deeper.

With each thrust the rigid phallus rubbed past his prostrate and the sensation was driving him insane. The feelings intensified until they burst forth into an earth-shattering orgasm. His lover's thrusts became more frenzied until he followed Andrew over the precipice. Basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Andrew smiled as he looked up into the face of his lover, Jason Medicine Wolf.

He awoke in a cold sweat. His sheet was wet, sticky, and clinging to his body. He couldn't believe it. He'd just had that damn dream again! What he couldn't understand was, why? First of all, allowing himself to be fucked was totally out of character for him. And secondly, if he ever did decide to bottom, it wouldn't be for Jason Medicine Wolf. Even though he was loath to admit it, Jason was sexy as all Hell with a body that could cure erectile dysfunction, but he was also infuriating, exasperating, and the most arrogant man he'd ever had the misfortune to meet. And on top of everything else, he was an immortal Vampyr who thought human beings were inferior. To put it in simple terms, Jason got on his last nerve.

He did have to confess to himself, however, that the immortal had taken up residence in his mind both when he was asleep and awake. Yes, much to his chagrin Jason occupied his waking thoughts constantly. If he wasn't fantasizing about what the Vampyr would look like naked, he was fuming over some condescending remark that he remembered the Native American making to him.

They'd only met two weeks ago when Andrew had been kidnapped by the evil organization known as the Synod for the Advancement of Immortals, and targeted for death. The Chief Controller of the Synod had used him to bait a trap he'd set for Andrew's best friend, Todd Warren. Todd, a newly transformed Mage, was to play a major role in the Vinculum Prophecy which foretold that Todd and the love of his life would be instrumental in bringing a halt to the Synod's latest plan for controlling the world.

The Chief Controller wanted to put an end to the threat that Todd presented, and sent several assassins to eliminate him, but they'd all been unsuccessful. So, he decided to handle Todd's assassination himself, and had kidnapped Andrew to assist him in accomplishing that task.

It was unfortunate for the Chief Controller, but providential for the world, that Todd and Mage Guardian Enforcer Connor Stevens had figured out that their love for each other was the key to stopping the Synod's evil scheme to enslave humanity.

Jason, also a Guardian Enforcer and Connor's partner, had rescued Andrew from the clutches of the Synod. At first, he'd been happy at the prospect of remaining alive, but as he got to know the egotistical bastard who was his rescuer, he'd almost begun to wish that he had died instead. Especially since he'd been enduring two torturous weeks of having that son of a bitch roam around inside his head. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

He looked over at his bedside clock and saw that it was midnight. He had to work a double shift tomorrow and he needed to get some more sleep. Like that was going to happen. He hadn't slept well since that day he and Jason first met.

The cum on his sheet was starting to dry, and he knew if he didn't remove it from his body soon he would take hide and hair with it when he pulled it off later. He got up, stripped off the soiled covers, and after retrieving a fresh set of bed linen, remade the bed. He put the filthy bed sheets in the dirty clothes hamper and headed to the bathroom.

He turned on the shower, adjusted the water to the proper temperature, and stepped into shower stall. As he washed his body, his mind drifted back to his dream, the erotic images causing his cock to become engorged with blood. In his mind's eye he could see Jason looming over him. He lifted his legs and draped them over the Vampyr's shoulders. Jason, hard and slick, entered him in one smooth stroke. He groaned at the delicious sensation.

While his mind was occupied with his fantasy lover, he ran his fingers through the crisp hair on his chest and tweaked his erect nipples. His hands wandered down to his abdomen and he lazily traced the outline of the muscles he took great pains to develop and maintain. When he reached his swollen penis he began to pleasure himself, imagining it was Jason's hands upon his aching, erect flesh. As his dream lover's thrusts became harder and faster his hand matched the pace until he sprayed his essence onto the tiled walls of his shower.

He immediately realized he'd done it again. Damn! Wasn't there any way to get that asshole of a Vampyr out of his head? If he didn't do something soon he was going to go stark raving mad. Yawning, he realized that he needed to get back to bed and get some sleep or he was going to be sluggish in the morning. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and the last thing the people of Dallas needed was a lethargic emergency nurse practitioner treating their emergencies and traumas.

Finishing his shower, he got out, quickly dried off, and walked back to his bedroom. He returned to bed and closed his eyes, determined to shove any thoughts of Jason to the back of his mind. He tossed and turned several times trying to find a comfortable position, but nothing worked. What was he going to do? He had to get some sleep. He decided to try that old remedy of counting sheep. He brought to mind a huge herd of sheep in a peaceful, green meadow, and began to count. He was up to the tenth sheep when he noticed that they were beginning to change. Their animal forms were slowly morphing into human ones. When the metamorphosis was complete there were multitudes of Jason Medicine Wolfs everywhere.

Andrew's eyes flew open, and he sat straight up in bed. Oh, shit! He gave up. It was useless. It seemed as if he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. He decided that since he was going to be awake he might as well do something constructive with his time. He got out of bed and walked over to his desk uncaring of his nudity, irritation evident in his stride. He sat down and booted up his computer. Now would be a perfect time to check his e-mail. He was fortunate to have a high speed cable internet connection so it was always on. Opening his e-mail, he scrolled through his messages until he came to one from his best friend. He opened it, and smiled to himself as he read.

Todd was on his honeymoon with his new husband, Connor. They were in Australia, and from the e-mail it sounded like they were having the time of their lives. He chuckled. It was just Todd's luck to be enjoying himself in Australia with his gorgeous hunk of a husband while he was stuck here in Dallas obsessing over an incorrigible asshole.

Even though he was happy for Todd, he sure as Hell wished he was here because he really needed to talk to his best friend about Jason. Yet, he wouldn't be back for another two weeks. He was just going to have to handle this problem on his own, and he needed to do it soon.

Suddenly, the solution to his problem became clear. He shut down his computer and got back into bed. No matter what he did he couldn't get Jason off his mind, so he was going to stop trying. He'd always heard that 'if you can't beat'em, join'em'. Closing his eyes once again, he brought Jason's image to the forefront of his mind, trying to remember every detail of his physical appearance.

The Native American Vampyr was a beautiful male specimen who stood about five feet ten inches tall. He had long, thick, luxurious black hair that hung down to the middle of his back, and Andrew imagined himself running his fingers through it. Jason's skin was a deep, golden brown that begged to be caressed, and his brown eyes were warm and velvety like hot chocolate. As he allowed himself to think about the immortal his agitation started to fade away, and in its place was a calm, peaceful feeling that caused him to drift into sleep.

Guardian Kassie Tutson would rather be having a Brazilian bikini wax than be where she was. She hated guard duty, and she wouldn't be here now if she wasn't doing a favor for a friend. She was an immortal with the ability to morph into an eight-foot tall dragon with superhuman strength and speed, a being known as a Dragonian. Her normal assignment was as a general enforcement officer. Unlike the Guardian Enforcers, specialized agents who dealt with the threat of the diabolical Synod, she and her fellow Guardians were a group of officers who were responsible for the normal day-to-day enforcement of the laws that governed benevolent immortals and for the guarding of prisoners.

She was supposed to be off tonight, but Guardian Jackson Abbott, a close friend of hers, needed the night off to take his wife out to dinner and a show for their anniversary. Being the bleeding-heart that she was, she agreed to take his shift. It didn't hurt that Jackson had pointed out there was only one prisoner to guard, which meant there would not be much to do.

She'd only been on duty for just over an hour and she was already bored. She couldn't understand how Jackson did this night after night. All she did was sit at a desk and watch the monitor that showed the interior of the prisoner's cell. She didn't know if she could take another seven hours of this without going out of her mind and pulling out every single hair on her head. She was glad she brought along a book to read.

She glanced down at the monitor and looked at her prisoner, Heinrich Bergraf. The Vampyr was an assassin for the Synod, and had been captured when he tried to kill Todd Warren in order to stop him from fulfilling the Vinculum Prophecy. Todd had foiled his attempted assassination and, along with Connor, had taken him into custody.

Satisfied that her prisoner posed no immediate threat, Kassie retrieved her book and began to read. It was a romance novel, and she soon became absorbed in the story. She had read about five chapters when she decided to check and see what Heinrich was doing. When she looked back at the monitor he was nowhere to be seen. Panic coursed through her at an alarming speed. Throwing down her book, she got up and ran to Heinrich's cell.

She was so worried her prisoner might have escaped, that she failed to call for backup, and forgot to morph into her Dragonian form, which put her at a serious disadvantage against a Vampyr like Heinrich. She peered through the cell window, but Kassie didn't see the Synod assassin anywhere. She unlocked the door with her key, pushed it open, and entered the cell.

Once she stepped far enough into the cell, Heinrich, who had been hiding behind the door, used his preternatural speed to come up behind her. He grasped her upper arms in an iron grip, and spoke directly into her right ear. "You're not very bright, are you? You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. I'm very disappointed. I expected more from the Alliance than to employ a Guardian as inept as you."

Kassie berated herself for being so stupid. She knew that in all likelihood her life was over. Her only chance would be to try and reason with the Vampyr. "Heinrich, why don't you just let me go? If you do, I'll walk out of here and pretend this never happened."

"You are such a liar, Guardian. You work for the Alliance, and any organization that puts the needs of immortals second to those of humans is not something that can be trusted."

"The Alliance doesn't put the needs of humans over immortals. We just believe that humans, like immortals, are intelligent, sentient creatures, and as such deserve to be treated with respect. They shouldn't be used as a source for food or slaves."

Heinrich laughed with maniacal glee. "You poor deceived simpleton. You have been fed such a load of bullshit, and you ingested it like it was the finest Belgian chocolate. What makes you think humans are intelligent and sentient? They are just like cattle and are more useful ground up into hamburger than they are alive."

Kassie was astounded. "How can you say that? You were once human yourself."

"Ever heard of evolution? Survival of the fittest? Immortals are at the top of the food chain, little one. Some of us may have been human once, but we have since evolved into higher life forms."

"What makes you think we're so superior? Is it because we're immortal and have abilities that humans don't? That doesn't make us better than they are. It only makes us different. We experience the whole spectrum of emotions just like they do, and just like them, we can die."

Heinrich smiled and replied, "You're right, you poor deluded bitch. Immortals, just like humans, can die, as you're about to find out." Before Kassie had time to react, the Synod assassin used his fangs and ripped the right side of her throat out. Her severed carotid artery sprayed blood all over the floor until she had been drained.

When she was dead he flung her lifeless body away from him. He glanced at the pooled blood on the floor and licked his lips. It looked delicious. It was too bad that a large quantity of Morphian blood was poisonous to Vampyres. They'd given him nothing but pig's blood ever since he'd been here, and he was desperate for some real sustenance. He would just have to snag a passing human after he left and satisfy his craving. Without a second look at the woman he just murdered, he turned and left the room.

Jason Medicine Wolf was hidden in the shadows as he gazed up at the second story apartment with intense concentration. The lights in the apartment were off, and it was impossible for a normal observer to know if anyone was home. However, there was nothing normal about Jason. Through the use of his preternatural senses he was able to determine that the occupant of the apartment, one Andrew Reeves, was at home and asleep.

He had been unable to fight the impulse to come here. Ever since he met Andrew two weeks ago he hadn't been able to get the man out of his mind. It just didn't make any sense. He couldn't understand why was he this worked up over a human. To be honest, worked up wasn't exactly the right phrase. Obsessed was more like it. So much so that it seemed that he'd become a stalker.

Every night for the past week he'd come here and watched Andrew's apartment, hoping to gain some understanding as to why this man was dominating his thoughts. But so far, no answers had been forthcoming. He'd been hoping that if he could figure out what it was about this human that intrigued him he'd be able to exorcise him from his mind.

It didn't seem that was going to be happening anytime soon. Therefore, he'd finally given up on trying to get Andrew out his head. If the human was monopolizing his thoughts this much, then there must be a reason. His mother, Medicine Deer, had always said that persistent thoughts were in reality the voice of Usen, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, speaking to us about a matter of great importance. And when Usen talks, one should definitely pay close attention.

His smile was bittersweet as he thought of his mother. Even though she and his father, War Wolf, had been dead for almost four hundred years, he still missed them a great deal. His father had been the leader, and his mother the medicine woman for their people. They belonged to a sub-group of the Apache known as the Chokonen, or the Chiricahua, as they are referred to today.

Even though he wasn't their biological son, his parents had loved him deeply, and had taken great pains to raise him to respect and have a great passion for the religious beliefs of their people. Since his transformation into a Vampyr he had lived in the modern civilized world and been exposed to many different religions, including Christianity. Yet, he continued to maintain faith in Usen.

He didn't exactly reject the Christian Faith, so much as he chose not to accept all of its tenets. Christianity, broken down to its bare essentials, was very similar to the belief system of the Apache. Both religions believed in a benevolent and caring Creator who cares and sustains His children. Even though Christians call Him God, and Apaches call Him Usen, Jason believed they were one and the same deity. He figured that if both Christians and Apaches worshiped the same divine being he was going to choose to worship in the way his parents had taught him.

So, if Usen was speaking to him about Andrew, then he needed to figure out exactly what the Creator was trying to communicate. Did the human need protecting? Was he once again meant to be Andrew's hero? Was he supposed to teach the human some important lesson, or was Andrew meant to be the one doing the teaching? Though he had no earthly idea what he could possibly learn from a human. After all, they were inferior beings who only lived a finite number of years, and then they eventually turned into dust. He didn't view them the way the Synod did, as things to be enslaved or eaten. No, they were intelligent creatures. They just weren't on the same level as immortals.

As he continued to scan Andrew's apartment with his Vampyric senses, he noticed that there was something different tonight. The object of his surveillance was enjoying a sound sleep. Over the past week while he had been watching the human, Andrew's sleep had been restless and sporadic. He was beginning to worry about the man. Since he was once human himself, he knew that a lack of sleep could be detrimental to a mortal's health and welfare.

He could sense that Andrew was beginning to feel the strain. This sleeplessness had been going on for more than a week, and he couldn't understand why the human hadn't done anything about it. The stubborn fool was a nurse, and he should know what no sleep could do to a person. He had access to legal chemical substances that, when taken with care and moderation, could enable him to sleep. Yet, night after night had passed and the problem had not abated, until tonight that is.

Curious as to what made tonight different from all the others, Jason decided to do something risky. Using one of his Vampyric abilities, he took to the air and flew over to the apartment. Hovering in mid-air, he peered into Andrew's bedroom window, and what he saw took his breath away.

Andrew was lying on his bed, as naked as the day he was born. He'd thrown his covers aside, and the Vampyr had an unobstructed view of him in all his magnificent glory. His body was illuminated by the moonlight, giving him an ethereal quality. Jason was enraptured by the vision laid out before him. Andrew's dark auburn hair was feathered out on his pillow, almost like a halo framing his handsome face, which was now relaxed in sleep. He looked so different from the ungrateful, stubborn, and impertinent human Jason had met two weeks ago. The man was exasperating, but he was also fucking beautiful.

Sexual awareness passed through him like a bolt of lightening, and his cock came to instant attention. This couldn't be happening. Being attracted to Andrew was not an option. He'd never been attracted to a man before, but that was not what he found unacceptable. As a Native American he had no problems at all with homosexuality. In fact, being gay had been an honored lifestyle among native peoples, that is, until they had been corrupted by the strict mores practiced by some proponents of Christianity.

No, what he found completely objectionable was that Andrew was a human. It wasn't having sexual intercourse with a mortal that was the problem, but rather the thought of developing a relationship with one that he found disconcerting, especially this particular one. He firmly believed that a long-term mixed relationship was not a good idea. Usen couldn't be telling him that he was supposed to have a relationship with Andrew, He just couldn't be.

It had to be something else. Besides, he and the human would kill each other before they ever got started. Andrew was a mortal who just happened to be wrapped in a beautiful package, and that was what Jason had been reacting to, nothing more. He was a healthy male, and his body had only been involuntarily reacting to visual stimuli provided by a sexy creature. He had nothing to worry about.

The electronic sound of the theme from the television show Angel shattered the silence of the night air. It was emanating from his mobile phone, signaling him that he was receiving an incoming call. He chose that particular song because of his profound sense of irony. The hero of that T.V. program was a vampire with a soul, just like him. Since the song would only get louder until the call was answered, either by him or by his voice mail, he flew away from Andrew's window and went back into the shadows where he'd been before, so that the human would not be alerted to his presence.

Looking at his caller I.D. he saw that it was his superior, Prime Guardian Lea Wilson. He flipped open his phone and said, "Speak to me, boss."

"Jason, I need you to come to the Maximum Security Detention Unit here at Alliance headquarters immediately."

"What's going on?"

Lea sighed deeply before answering. "Heinrich Bergraf has escaped, and he killed his guard before he left. Jason, I don't know how to tell you this, but Kassie was the guard on duty."

Since Vampyres were technically dead, their complexion was naturally pale. So, to say that all color drained from Jason's face would be an understatement. He felt his eyes begin to moisten, but now was not the time for tears, it was the time for action. Crying would come later, after he ripped that son of a bitch, Heinrich, into a million pieces and fed the morsels of flesh to the crabs.

Kassie had been special to him. She had been changed into a Dragonian against her will by an operative of the Synod, and then taken to be a servant of the Chief Controller. Jason and Connor had rescued her and killed her sire.

She had only been nineteen years old at the time of her transformation, and was ill prepared for the changes her new status would bring. Jason had taken her under his wing, and she became like a daughter to him. She had wanted to emulate him and become a Guardian Enforcer, but she didn't have the aptitude for it. So, she had become a Guardian instead.

The thought of her being viciously murdered by that pathetic scum of a Synod assassin was almost more than he could bear. But the thought of exacting revenge in Kassie's name strengthened him. He was going to kill that bastard, or die trying.

"Jason, are you there?" Lea's voice penetrated his troubled thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"I know how hard this must be for you, and I join you in your grief. If you don't feel up to this I can call in another Guardian Enforcer," Lea offered with a compassion-filled voice.

"Thanks, boss, but that won't be necessary. I need to do this. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." After using his Vampyric senses to make sure that Andrew was all right, and still sleeping soundly, he folded up his phone and took to the air.